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My name is Sarah. I drive a Range Rover. In a little more than a week’s time, I have to hand it back.

For 2 years I’ve been part of the Pulse of the City campaign and in December this year it comes to an end. Before I give back the car, I want to try an experiment.

Johannesburg, South Africa, is full of three things:

Cars. (Especially expensive cars.)

Traffic lights (or, as we like to call them, robots).

And beggars.

At red robots, all three come together. Usually, Joburg motorists ignore the beggars. We’ve become very good at not seeing them.

A lot of the time, I ignore them too. I wear sunglasses so I can avoid making eye contact with them. I feel guilty, but at the same time, I resent giving them something. It’s complicated: I drive a luxury vehicle, so it looks like I have loads of cash to spare when in fact I don’t – I quit my job at the beginning of this year partly because I didn’t have a car to pay off.

But this time, I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to let go of holding back. Before I hand the car back, I’m going to give to every beggar I encounter – and not just something small, like R5, but something big enough to surprise them. Maybe even buy a day of happiness in a world where there is too little of it about. Probably hubris, I know, but hey.

The idea came about after ignoring yet another beggar and feeling guilty about it. That’s when the thought occurred to me: what if I stop hoping they’ll go away if I pretend they’re not there? What if I open my window to let the world I want to keep out, in? What if I simply let go of all of those usual reasons – it’s not in my budget, I don’t have cash with me, I’m in a bad mood – and gave away more than I’d ever normally consider rational?

Now, there are obvious potential problems here. For one thing, this campaign could be seen as preachy and self-righteous. (I’m giving away money; therefore, so should you, you miserable luxury car-driving misanthropes.) Also, while the money will help in the short term, I’m not actually doing anything sustainable to solve a massive problem that goes to the heart of South Africa’s social problems.

But I can start a conversation. And I can tell the stories. Because a story is often the only thing that people have to sell.